Almost there
by Dellinah
Summary: "I miss you" isn't "Thank you". A hug isn't an apology. But his brother was back, and for Stan, that was all that mattered. And if he was willing to hug him, that was even better. (Brotherly Stan/Ford one-shot. Set in ToTS.)


**Wow, my first one-shot for Gravity Falls had such positive reviews that I was flattered when I read them! I really do love Gravity falls and it felt really good to write for it, and even better to see people liked my work. Well, Stan/Ford relationship as brothers is my favorite thing about it, so of course I had to write more about them.**

 **They give me so much feels, omg.**

 **I hope you like it!**

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They stood side by side, something that was really ordinary; but that they hadn't done in a really long time and felt weird for them. The men staring back at them in the mirror suddenly looked different, as if they were strangers rather than their own reflection. Although Stanley was focused on the image in front of him, he also paid faint attention to his brother's reflection.

Stanley didn't know exactly what to expect from Ford's appearance after all those years, but he knew that what he had in mind wasn't much different than what Ford had actually become. Even if they were twins, they never looked the same after they reached puberty; but now they looked more similar than they did in their adolescence. For a brief moment, Stan's mind traveled back to when they were kids and looked exactly the same, two boys that could perfectly mirror each other.

"Look at us. When did we become old men?"

Ford raised an eyebrow. It was an obvious fact that Ford looked way younger than Stanley, despite them being the same age. He wondered if that was because the dimension he was stuck in had a different timing and that made him younger on Earth, but he knew it was probably because of everything Stan had been through all those years. Being homeless surely wasn't good for anyone's health. And there was also all the stress he had been through to bring his brother back. A stress he had been through for years; all because of Stanford.

"You look like dad." Ford said with a small smile.

"Ugh, uck, don't say that." Stan moved away a little, with a disgusted face that quickly became a laugh. And that seemed to be contagious, because soon Ford was laughing too. It was just a giggle, a laugh that sounded like someone had told a bad joke and you laugh just because you don't want them to feel bad, but it was the first sign of happiness Ford showed ever since he got there.

However, it soon died when Ford sighed and frowned.

"Okay, Stanley, here's the deal. You can stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids. I'll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage. But when the summer's over, you give me my _house_ back, you give me my _name_ back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over _forever_. You got it?" Ford said, his frown growing bigger and his voice rising with each sentence he said.

Stan frowned as well and took a deep breath. After all he had done, after all he had been through solely to help his brother; that was all Ford had to say? Seriously? Stan had been homeless, ridiculed and lonely; he had starved, lost everything he had, but he didn't mind it because he held onto the hope of one day seeing his brother again. Because he really cared for Ford.

But it seemed that that feeling wasn't mutual after all.

"You really aren't gonna thank me, are you?"

Ford looked at Stan with a pitiful face. It's not like he wasn't glad he was back home after all those long years of loneliness, and he surely was glad that his brother didn't give up on him; but he couldn't thank him. Not after what he did. Stan had cost him all his dreams, just because he was selfish and didn't want Ford to go away. All because he had that stupid dream of sailing away to be treasure hunters, as if that was ever going to work.

Sure, it could have been fun to do that. But his college...

"Fine. On one condition: you stay away from the kids; I don't want them in danger." Stan said, interrupting Ford's train of thought. "'Cause as far as I'm concerned, they're the only family I have left." He said angrily, with such impetus that Ford backed away from him. After that, Stan turned around and walked away.

Stan's words cut deeper than Ford ever thought they would, and so he turned around not to face his brother walking away. He didn't understand why he felt bad; after all it wasn't like he needed his brother for anything. All Stan had ever done was ruining his life. Ford was fine on his own, and who cared if Stan didn't consider him his family anymore?

Stan started going upstairs, but stopped just before the stairs were over. He looked over his shoulders and saw Ford standing there with his back on him, and that hurt. Ford was never one for warming welcomes, so Stan didn't expect him to jump in joy once he was back, but he surely didn't expect him to just shut everyone away like that. And he also expected a thank you for spending most of his life trying to save his brother.

Ford and Stan had been through rough paths. They had more bad memories than they had good ones. In fact, Stan's latest memory of his brother before he came back was them fighting and Ford telling him to go away and never return. He had called Stan just to tell him to go as far from him as possible. Ford turned his back on Stan when he needed him most. Stan had all the reasons in the world to hate Ford. He had all the reasons to be glad that Ford was gone when the portal sucked him in and just forget about him.

But deep inside, he still loved his brother.

Even with all the bad memories, Stan kept holding onto the good ones.

All he could think about was the good time they spent together as kids and teenagers. He could never let go of the nights they spent together, telling stories to each other. He could never forget all the afternoons they spent wandering around the beach looking for mysteries, when they were young and impetuous. And maybe Stan overreacted when Ford told him he was going away. He did want his brother with him, because he loved his brother; but maybe life just isn't always the way you want it to be. Ford was just trying to follow him dream. It just hurt that Ford was an essential piece of Stan's goals, while Stan wasn't included in Ford's plans at all.

Still, when Stan looked over his shoulders as he went up the stairs, it came to him that that man standing there still was his brother.

They weren't on the best of terms, but his brother was finally back.

Ford still had his back on Stan, so focused on Stan's words saying that he wasn't his family anymore that he didn't notice that the sound of steps behind him were getting closer instead of getting further away.

And suddenly, he felt someone's arms close tightly around his waist.

Ford's first reaction was to gasp and try to jerk away, but the hold on his waist was too strong and it kept him in place. When he looked over his shoulders ready to punch whoever that was, he saw that the person hugging him was none other than his brother Stanley. Stan had his face buried in the crook of Ford's neck, and Ford gasped again when Stan tightened the hold even more, even making it hard for Ford to breathe.

What the hell was Stan thinking? He couldn't just come and hug Ford like that, as if he had done nothing wrong, and without his permission! Ford's eyebrows furrowed as he put his hands over Stan's arms and grabbed his brother's wrists, ready to take them away from him and yell at him.

"I missed you, Poindexter." Stan whispered.

Ford froze in place. He didn't know if Stan was aware that he had heard what he said, or even if Stan wanted him to hear it, considering how neither of them had been very generous with revealing their thoughts lately. But whatever Stan's thoughts and purposes were, that sentence had Ford thinking.

They were the perfect team when they were kids. They were always together. Stan had helped him so many times, much more times than he'd ever be able to count. Sure, he had never helped him where school or homework was concerned; but whenever Ford had a nightmare Stan was there to help him feel safe again. When people mocked him for having six fingers, his brother stood up for him, even if that meant getting hurt for fighting those bullies. Whenever he felt awful about himself, Stan was just the one that could make him feel better.

And, as hurt as he was that Stanley ruined his chances of getting into the college he wanted, it's not like he hadn't done pretty well without it. He pretty much achieved everything he wanted; even if by different ways than the ones he wanted at first.

Was it really worth it to get that mad with someone who meant so much to him because of something that had turned out pretty well?

"I missed you too." Ford said, sliding his hands from Stan's wrists to his hands and holding them with his own and leaning his head on Stan's, trying to return that awkward hug somehow.

Stan's eyes widened, but then he smiled and closed his eyes again, laying his head on Ford's shoulder.

No, he hadn't thanked him yet. But his brother was back. His brother had missed him too.

And that's all that mattered.

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 **I hope you liked it! Please review if you feel like it ^^**


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